When Books Went to War by Molly Guptill Manning

When Books Went to War is a fascinating chronicle of the efforts to provide troops with a break from the war environment. Librarians like Raymond Trautman and Althea Warren feature prominently in this account. There was a major drive for book donations with even President Roosevelt making an appeal and stressing books' essential role in the "fight for freedom."  In addition, When Books Went to War tells about the development of paperbacks - rising from a few hundred thousand in 1939 to over forty million in 1943.

Manning also describes how Armed Services Editions were specifically sized to fit either in a breast or hip pocket for easy access.  She quotes a sailor who said that a man was "out of uniform if one isn't sticking out [of] the hip pocket." Obviously she has a great affection for books and the United States so many of her comments are extremely patriotic. As unbelievable as it may seem, she indicates that Germany had destroyed over 100 million books in Europe before V-E Day, including half of all the books in Czechoslovakia.  I know that we have several classes who read and watch The Book Thief and having access to these statistics will make the censorship and frightening suppression of ideas even more real.

Roughly a fourth of When Books Went to War is an appendix listing the 1,200 or so titles which were made available to troops in various waves, and this, too, would be interesting to study - noting both well-known and some half forgotten authors. A search on Armed Services Edition links to images to various ones available through amazon.

Beyond Courage - history in words and photos

 

Beyond Courage: The Untold Story of Jewish Resistance During the Holocaust by Doreen Rappaport.

I’ve enjoyed browsing this book. It accessible for research, for learning about people and events through words and pictures, and yet it could work as a small coffee-table book or simply sitting on a table for students to browse just because it's there.

Almost every page includes pictures of people and places (in both black and white and antique finish), maps, art work by children, and poetry, making the story personal and engaging. No image is disturbing visually, so to have it on display or near students would be appropriate. 

The summary in my catalog states “provides detailed accounts of twenty-one acts of defiance committed against Nazis in Nazi-occupied countries during World War II. “

To connect the history of individuals, and those who acted against "authority," with visual history is the essence of this book.

 The chapters are organized by place – occupied countries – with sub-headings about something specific to that place, time, or people.

The chapters are short, concise, and easy to read and understand, thus the pages turn quickly.

Even a pronunciation guide is included, just before the important dates, notes, and works consulted.  

All this book needs is a soundtrack.